1. Field of the Invention.
This invention is directed to a tool to aid in the tying of knots in the necks of balloons and other inflated objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
When one attempts to tie a knot in the neck of a balloon or other inflated object, there is the difficulty of stretching the neck to sufficient length to tie a knot, while at the same time preventing air from escaping. Furthermore, if the individual attempting to tie such a knot is infirm (for example, with arthritis or other joint or muscle crippling disease) or uncoordinated (for example, a young child, a person with Parkinson's disease, etc.), then the difficulty is compounded. Finally, those who tie many such knots in a short time period (for example, a vendor selling helium-filled balloons) risk the discomforts that may develop from chafing of the skin on the fingers due to hand-tying the non-slippery surface of the balloon or other inflatable object.
The prior art teaches tools for tying knots in balloons. The closest prior art in this field known by the present inventors is Muma's U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,142. The tying tool disclosed in this patent consists of a flat rectangular implement with two parallel slits at one end. The center-most slit connects with a shallow recess on one of the two flat sides. Although this tool is a substantial and significant improvement over the tying of knots by hand, it is complicated to use, the balloon is not firmly held on the tool during the tying process, the balloon is difficult to remove from the tool following tying, and it is not adapted to receive a variety of balloon sizes.